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BATTLE ROYALE LIMITED EDITION 4K UHD Blu-Ray Set Unleashes The Anarchy In The UK In April

The early 2000s proved to be the best era for films fans amid the rise of the Asia Extreme subgenre. This no less includes one of the most topical releases by far with Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale, long celebrated even after the director’s passing in 2003 upon the production of his son’s sequel, Battle Royale II: Requiem. How so? Leave it to Arrow Video to pave the way for a deluxe limited edition/4K blu-ray re-release of the films with all the trimmings several times over. Time will tell if North America will get a stab at this jam-packed package of bygone physical media delight, but pre-order links are currently up-and-running for collectors in the UK to snatch up ASAP, via Arrow, Amazon, Zavvi and HMV ahead of its April 26 release! The kids of Third Year Class-B Shiroiwa Junior High School are back, in a brand new UHD restoration of […]

ARROW: December Seasons, AGFA Titles And More Outline To Arrive Through December Into 2021

Lee B. Golden III

Cutting edge cult cinema streamer, ARROW, is making headway this month announcing its December line-ups and title release plans well into the new year, starting with the December 1 release of Patrick Picard’s slow-burner horror thriller debut, The Bloodhound. Picard writes and directs this, his feature debut billed as “a hauntingly atmospheric tale”, freshly inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”. The film centers on Francis (Liam Aiken – A Series of Unfortunate Events), a dispossessed young man who finds himself drawn into a world of malaise and despair upon visiting the secluded home of his wealthy childhood friend who suffers from a mysterious affliction, and whose family is discovered to carry a dark legacy. The film also stars Joe Adler (The Maze Runner) and Annalise Basso (Ouija: Origin of Evil). Going forward, the seasons commence with “Naughty or Nice” for its following thematic […]

VERSUS Trailer: Re-Live The ‘Ultimate’ Legendary Japanese Action Horror Thriller On Blu-Ray This December

Lee B. Golden III

The zeitgeist of the last twenty years with Asian cinema has been a purely awesome and memorable era to be a part of, and it’s all thanks in part to Ryuhei Kitamura whose 2000 action horror, Versus, helped pave the way for my own fandom apart from Hollywood’s own investments, the “Hong Kong crossover” included. Versus is a film that brings me back to a time when all the money I would ever have to spent would end up at the most convenient Suncoast outlet during my errands from 34th st. and Herald Square when the mall I’d routinely visit was still called the Manhattan Mall. Like with Steve Wang’s Drive and its “director’s cut”, that particular DVD store is one of three reasons why I allowed myself to have multiple copies of Versus – the others being CD Japan, YesAsia and the currently-defunct HKFlix. To be honest though, were […]

VERSUS: Ryuhei Kitamura’s Legendary Action Horror Gets A DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack From Arrow Video!

Lee B. Golden III

While you’re busy catching onto recent Ryuhei Kitamura releases such as Downrange and The Doorman, feel free to take a trip back about twenty years ago when the auteur began making a name for himself at the turning point of the new millennium with his hit indie action horror, Versus. The film introduces a hypnotic, stylish martial arts-tinged horror thriller featuring legends Tak Sakaguchi and Hideo Sakaki in an interdimensional story that crosses time and space, drawing an escaped convict and a mysterious, immortal killer closer to an inveitable battle, with a mystical young woman caught in the middle. It’s the film that drew crowds at festivals around the world and remains a cult favorite to this day, especially for anyone who’s ever purchased a U.S. Media Blasters/Tokyo Shock DVD of this film in one edition or another. Nearly twenty years later, the good folks at Arrow Video have hit […]

Limited Edition GAMERA: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION Is Yours To Own On Blu-Ray In The U.K. And North America In August!

Lee B. Golden III

The Arrow Video Channel has been making a killing this year with its acqusitions of classic films, including the friend of all children and guardian of the universe himself, Gamera. Alas, you’re a kaiju movie fiend and it just so happens that you’re into physical releases over SVOD service, MVD Entertainment Group is willing to oblige with limited edition collectors’ blu-ray set of the Gamera film franchise. The company announced the full list of special features that will jam-pack the box set upon release in the UK on August 7, and in North America beginning August 18. Packed with loads of extras, including commentaries, interviews, an 80-page retrospective and 130-page comic, the bundle also includes exclusive artcards featuring artwork by Matt Frank as shown in Arrow Video Channel’s June announcement. Read on below and pre-order your limited edition blu-ray box set from MVD today! COLLECTOR’S EDITION BOX SET CONTENTS •Limited […]

Arrow Video Channel Launches 80s Horror And Asia Extreme Titles In July With GAMERA, BLOODSTONE, CREEPSHOW 2 And Much More!

Lee B. Golden III

If you haven’t yet snagged a Blu-Ray of Lee Min-Jae’s hit zombie horror romp, Zombie On Sale, you’ll definitely get the chance to beginning July 1 as it joins the July summer slate for the Arrow Video Channel. But that’s not all. Folks in the U.S. and the U.K. will also be able to stream all or most of the following titles depending on the region, including Nagisa Oshima’s war classic, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, Dwight Little’s Indian-American action comedy, Bloodstone, horror thrillers Black Rainbow and Creepshow 2, and the 12-film Gamera movie collection. It all kicks off this we on Wednesday July 1 on the Arrow Video Channel, which is available on Apple TV in the UK and US, as well as on Amazon in the UK. Check out the promos and line-up below! July Additions: Zombie For Sale (UK/US) The Gamera Collection (12 films) (UK/US) Creepshow 2 (UK/US) […]

JESUS SHOWS YOU THE WAY TO THE HIGHWAY, THE WOMAN, BLOODTIDE And More Head Up Arrow Video Channel’s June Line-Up

Lee B. Golden III

Miguel Llansó’s Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway was a fascinating festival feature delight last year. The film now stands as part of Arrow’s subscription-based Arrow Video Channel line-up, exclusively in the U.S. and the U.K., with Llansó’s film launching June 1. The year is 2035, and Special Agent Gagano (Daniel Tadesse, Crumbs) dreams of leaving the CIA to open a business with his wife Malin (Gerda-Annette Allikas). Before he can hand in his resignation, however, a strange cyber virus attacks Psychobook, the CIA’s operating system, forcing Gagano to enter cyberspace via virtual reality to combat the threat. Before long, however, the virus starts to reach out into the real world, destabilising the fragile socio-political order for its own ends, and Gagano, trapped in the VR world, must find a way out before it’s too late. Arrow launched it’s SVOD service back in 2017 and is now home […]

ZOMBIE FOR SALE: Snack On Undead Shenanigans With Lee Min-Jae’s Feature Debut On Blu-Ray This Summer

Lee B. Golden III

Lee Min-jae’s directing debut, The Odd Family: Zombie On Sale, was some of the most delightful Korean genrefare to emerge last summer, and I encourage you to read my review to catch up. In the meantime, Arrow Video is finally picking up on the pic, retitled Zombie For Sale, with an announcement as of last week, and pre-orders up and running via Arrow UK, Amazon UK, DiabolikDVD in the U.S., and Unobstructed View in Canada. Tune in for dates listed at each website. Below are the listed specs for the film’s July release on Blu-Ray in the U.S.: “An infectiously funny slice of modern Korean cinema where Train to Busan, The Quiet Family and Warm Bodies collide to create a memorable rom-zom-com from first time director Lee Min-jae. When the illegal human experiments of Korea’s biggest Pharmaceutical company go wrong, one of their “undead” test subjects escapes and ends up […]

WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE! Review: Oh, The Things We Do For Love…

Lee B. Golden III

Kiril Sokolov’s feature debut, Why Don’t You Just Die! takes a searing and catastrophic glimpse at twisted family drama with brutal results. Best of all is the film marks the latest outing of actor Aleksandr Kuznetsov who first landed on this site’s radar with a physically impressive supporting turn in Rustam Mosafir’s period actioner, The Scythian (also known as The Last Warrior), which is an absolute blast. Kuznetsov’s performance lends an equally raw physicality to Sokolov’s unfolding and whimsically comedic and dark drama. It doesn’t take long for the gears to begin turning with a story that centers on Matvey (Kuznetsov), a man who is compelled by his girlfriend, Olya (Evgeniya Kregzhde), to kill her father, Andrey (Vitaliy Khaev), for an alleged incident during her childhood. Armed with a hammer and expecting only to confront Andrey by himself, Matvey’s simple plan unravels into a not-so-simple standoff with the man sitting […]

WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE!: Kiril Sokolov’s Outlandish, Critically-Acclaimed Horror Comedy Opens In The U.S. On April 10 From Arrow

Lee B. Golden III

Kirill Sokolov’s latest, Why Don’t You Just Die!, landed at Arrow Video last Augustfollowing its festive premiere at the 23rd Fantasia Festival during its fest run. The film will release in select theaters nationwide on April 10 and a trailer has already begun making the rounds. Matvey (Aleksandr Kuznetsov) has just one objective: to gain entry to his girlfriend’s parents’ apartment and kill her father Andrey (Vitaliy Khaev) with a hammer to restore her honour. But all is not as it initially seems, and Matvey’s attempts to bludgeon the family patriarch to death don’t quite go to plan as Andrey proves a more formidable – not to mention ruthless – opponent than he anticipated… and Matvey, for his part, proves stubbornly unwilling to die. Why Don’t You Just Die! has received critical acclaim from festivals around the globe, taking home the New Flesh Award for Best First Feature and Silver […]

THE VENGEANCE TRILOGY: Arrow Announces 4-Disc Blu-Ray Pre-Orders For December UK Release

Lee B. Golden III

Among a raft of new titles announced on Friday, Arrow is reviving a trio of contemporary classic revenge tales for a December 9 re-release of celebrated auteur Park Chan-wook‘s highly-acclaimed gems, The Vengeance Trilogy. The four-disc Blu-Ray collection boasts a massive array of extras with details and purchase info now available at Arrow Films‘ official website, as well as U.K. outlets for Amazon, HMV and Zavvi. This collection presents Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, the lauded trilogy of revenge films directed by internationally acclaimed Korean director Park Chan-wook (The Handmaiden). Sympathy for Mr Vengeance tells the harrowing tale of a young deaf-mute man, Ryu, who kidnaps a wealthy businessman s daughter in an attempt to extort money to pay for his sister’s kidney transplant. A terrible accident sets the child s father on a fateful path of revenge. Oldboy tells the grisly story of Oh Dae-su, a […]

WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE: Kirill Sokolov’s Rollicking Action Comedy Debut Acquired By Arrow For U.S. And U.K. Release

Lee B. Golden III

I screened a cool bunch of films at home that premiered in Montreal for the 23rd Fantasia International Film Festival this summer. Unfortunately some were never included in the screener list – one which includes comedic action drama, Why Don’t You Just Die, Kirill Sokolov’s directorial debut centered on the calamity between a young thug, and his girlfriend’s abusive brooding Moscow cop father. The film opened in Russia in April while screening at a raft of festivals around the world in addition to Fantasia, including premiering at Tallinn Black Nights last year 2018, as well as What The Fest in March and Cineopocalypse in June. The film is also due to screen for Arrow Video FrightFest this weekend in the U.K., and with the good fortune of sales agent Reel Suspects selling North American and U.K. rights to Arrow Video according to Elsa Keslassy who elucidates the exclusive buzz points […]

Arrow’s SISTER STREET FIGHTER BLU-RAY COLLECTION Spotlight’s New Release Artwork And Key UK Release Details

Arrow Video’s THE SISTER STREET FIGHTER BLU-RAY COLLECTION Promo Is Here

Lee B. Golden III

I wonder if we’ll ever one day see a revival of some kind of either of the Sonny Chiba/Etsuko Shihomi Street Fighter franchises. At any rate though, there will always be the classics, and of course, Arrow Video now with its own stake in refurbished reprints with add-ons for the special features in its upcoming Blu-Ray set. I’m talking The Sister Street Fighter Collection which rolls out on the UK and the US on March 4 and March 5, respectively. Pre-orders are still up and avaialble while the good folks at Arrow have just put up its own summary promo for what fans can expect; the specs were announced back in January but feel free to tap and enlarge R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien’s key artwork below and scroll down for the details. Order in the UK: Arrow Films Order in the US: Diabolik DVD After the massive success of […]

Arrow Video: THE GRAND DUEL, IN THE AFTER MATH, SPIRAL, YAKUZA LAW And More Announced For May

Lee B. Golden III

Arrow Video is doling out another in a raft of finely-tuned releases on Blu-Ray in the US, UK and Canada. Giancarlo Santi’s 1972 spaghetti western, The Grand Duel is just one and with a freshly uploaded trailer just above. Among the lot you also have Yakuza Law from the highly-heralded Godfather of J-sploitation, Ishii Teruo, Charles E. Sellier Jr.’s The Annihilators (which for me comes straight from the old VHS bin of yesteryear), and J-horror, Sprial, which is now available on Amazon Prime. There are seven titles in the gallery below with all the details you need. Tap them for larger view and scroll down for all the announcements, tech specs and pre-order links.

Arrow’s SISTER STREET FIGHTER BLU-RAY COLLECTION Spotlight’s New Release Artwork And Key UK Release Details

Lee B. Golden III

It’s always interesting to see how distro companies aim to maintain the posterity of classic movies. Toei’s Sister Street Fighter Collection is no exception – I actually bought mine from HKFlix when BCI/Eclipse had theirs released in 2006, and it’s not a bad package either Going forward, we’ll soon find out what entails the upcoming collection to be released this March as Arrow Video sets out to release its own reprisal of the hit Etsuko Shihomi-led franchise spun-off from action star Sonny Chiba’s inaugural hit Street Fighter series – also from Toei. In the meantime, Arrow Video has since already rolled out its initial Blu-Ray details via social media late last year. Following up this week, the company is also showcasing brand new commissioned artwork by R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien which can also be spotted at the official website, as well as important details pertaining to a key alteration […]

COPS VS. THUGS: Arrow Video’s Retro Yakuza Blu-Ray Release Gets A New Promo

Lee B. Golden III

Cops vs Thugs (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray + DVD] May 23 is actually when Arrow Video will be releasing not one but two rare titles out of classic Japanese cinema. For this, we get celebrated auteur Fukasaku Kinji’s award-winning 1975 yakuza crime pics, Cops vs Thugs, and Arrow Video unveiled their own promo video this week. Check it out at above and pre-order your U.S. copy today! Considered by many to be director Kinji Fukasaku’s greatest single-film achievement in the yakuza genre, Cops vs Thugs was made at the height of popularity of Toei Studios’ jitsuroku boom: realistic, modern crime movies based on true stories taken from contemporary headlines. Returning to the screen after completing their Battles Without Honor and Humanity series together, Fukasaku joined forces once again with screenwriter Kazuo Kasahara, composer Toshiaki Tsushima and star Bunta Sugawara to create one of the crowning achievements of his career, and […]

WOLF GUY Howls Online With A New Blu-Ray Promo From Arrow Video

Lee B. Golden III

Wolf Guy (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray + DVD] Once a rare classic never released outside of Japan, Yamaguchi Kazuhiro’s 1975 action horror sci-fi martial arts romp, Wolf Guy is getting the pristine treatment it deserves at Arrow Video. A new promo is now online ahead of its release following ticketed event screenings throughout the U.S. and the U.K. and with 2-disc Blu-Ray availability set for May 23, 2017. Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba is a martial arts “manimal” in the ultra-70’s, 100% bizarre mixture of horror, action and sci-fi that is Wolf Guy, one of the rarest and most sought-after cult films produced by Japan’s Toei Studio. Based on a manga by Kazumasa Hirai (creator of 8 Man), and never before released outside of Japan, it’s a genre film classic waiting to be discovered and a completely unclassifiable trip into phantasmagoric funk. Chiba stars as Akira Inugami, the only survivor of a […]

WOLF GUY, DJANGO PREPARE A COFFIN, HOUSE And More Announced In MVD’s U.S. Release Slate This Spring

Lee B. Golden III

MVD Entertainment Group is beefing up its Spring batch of DVD and Blu-Ray releases including Arrow Video’s earlier announced Sonny Chiba classic, Wolf Guy, and House: Two Stories Limited Edition. Check out the following announcement below in full detail, artwork and links included! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New from Arrow Video US CALTIKI THE IMMORTAL MONSTER [Blu-ray + DVD] (April 11th) DJANGO PREPARE A COFFIN [Blu-ray + DVD] (April 11th) DONNIE DARKO LIMITED EDITION [Blu-ray + DVD] (April 18th) WOLF GUY [Blu-ray + DVD] (April 25th) HOUSE: TWO STORIES LIMITED EDITION [HOUSE 1 & 2] on Blu-ray (NOW April 11) via MVD Entertainment Group MVD Entertainment Group furthers the distribution of Arrow Video in the US with several titles for April 2017. On April 18th comes The Night Evelyn Came Out Of The Grave (Blu-ray and DVD) and The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (Blu-ray and DVD), two giallo chillers from […]

Buy Your Copy Of Arrow Video’s Release Of Miike Takashi’s BLACK SOCIETY TRILOGY Now!

Lee B. Golden III

Buy your copy at Amazon.com Promising a lush package with quality footage, commentary, interviews and more, Arrow Video’s DVD reinstallation of Miike Takashi’s classic Yakuza property, Black Society Trilogy, is now available purchase. UK pre-orders have been up since the film’s announcement back in October while you can now snag your copy at Amazon.com, and as such, Arrow Video presents their latest story trailer introducing the action-packed saga. Check it out below following the details and specs, and of course, buy Black Society Trilogy today! After several years spent working almost exclusively in the direct-to-video world of “V-cinema” in Japan, Takashi Miike announced himself as a world-class filmmaking talent with this trio of thematically-connected, character-centric crime stories about violence, the underworld of Japanese society, families both real and surrogate, and the possibly hopeless task of finding one’s place in the world. His first films made specifically for theatrical release, and […]

Hey North America! Miike Takashi’s DEAD OR ALIVE TRILOGY Is Available For Pre-Order From Arrow Video!

Lee B. Golden III

Arrow Video’s latest re-vamped release of Miike Takashi’s Dead Or Alive Trilogy is now available in the United States for Blu-Ray pre-order at Amazon.com following its UK announcement last month. The listed price is $34.99, down from $49.95 for the time being with all the necessary specs and details to boot making this particular package all the more worth owning. Dead Or Alive Trilogy (Dead or Alive, Dead or Alive 2: Birds, Dead or Alive: Final) (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] Beginning with an explosive, six-minute montage of sex, drugs and violence, and ending with a phallus-headed battle robot taking flight, Takashi Miike’s unforgettable Dead or Alive Trilogy features many of the director’s most outrageous moments set alongside some of his most dramatically moving scenes. Made between 1999 and 2002, the Dead or Alive films cemented Miike’s reputation overseas as one of the most provocative enfants terrible of Japanese cinema, yet […]